Roanoke County Economic development director Jill Loope says it wasn’t a shock that the Applebee’s Restaurant at Tanglewood Mall is now closed – indicating the chain has been shutting under-performing sites around the country. Loope also says the county is in contact with the mall’s owner, Alabama-based Blackwater Resources. Loope says the U.S. is in the midst of a “retail apocalypse,” with changing consumer tastes for shopping and eateries leading to a commercial state of transition.
